I’m an early bird. The older I get, the earlier I rise. I also walk like Frankenstein for the first 15 minutes after tumbling out of bed, and if I only wake up to pee in the night twice, I’m gold!
I haven’t always been an early riser.
Something happened to inspire me to get my butt out of bed.
God.
In my early twenties, I made a deal with Him. He would pull me out of a pretty crummy mess, and I’d promise to give Him the time He deserved.
He held His end of the bargain.
So did I.
But, rising early…before my kids…my husband…the sun…the mailman…the rooster…the dough the Amish women kneaded the night before…(because let’s be honest, who else does that?)wasn’t always easy.
Until I realized, God was waiting for me in those early hours. He had treasure for me to find, a heart to synchronize with His, and an inside to mend.
The words on the pages came alive for me in the stillness of pre-dawn. He became real, intimate, special–not a religion or a figure. A friend, a confidant, lover of my soul, my best friend.
But it was the early hours that made the difference.
Why? Because, time slips away so easily. Daily demands put studying and relationship on the back burner. Oh maybe I’d slip in a daily devotional reading, which is better than nothing and valuable of course, but nothing compares to that one-on-one time. Nothing compares to looking up and realizing you’ve been before the throne for hours and yet it only seems like a minute or two.
God rewards sacrifice. Dragging out of bed to give God the first part of your day is a sacrifice. But the rewards are worth the lack of shut eye.
“O God, You are my God;Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1
Early morning time prepares you for good days and rotten days. It gives you the fuel to keep going when the roads of life twist and turn and seem endless.
Early morning time prepares your heart for tough co-workers, friends with serious problems who need wisdom, bosses who drop their work on your shoulders, cars that cut you off, and strangers who stand in front of you with 500 items, knowing you only have ONE!
Early morning quiet time allows you to hear only His heartbeat.
I’m not saying you can’t have quality time with God at night. But even Jesus awoke before the rest to start His day with His Father.
What about you? When do you spend time with God? What do you think keeps you from getting up early if you don’t already?
Okay, the song, “Wake Me up Before You Go-Go…” just popped in my head. Random. Whatayagonnado?
I LOVE this because I've totally experienced this! About three years ago I started giving my mornings to God. He's who I wake up to and spend my first moments with. My relationship with Him has grown so much deeper because of it.
First of all, that picture is hilarious!! Secondly, I'm so NOT a morning person. Thirdly, I get up 15 minutes early to read a chapter of the bible and a short devotion. It makes all the difference. I save my one-on-one time with God for right before bed. When a day is sandwiched in worship–it's a good day. 🙂
Great Post.
I am also a morning person. My name is Dawn because my father loved watching the sunrise. He wasn't an outwardly religious man, but I believe that was his time with God.
I do my bible reading in the morning, but I have recently added an element. One of my goals for the summer is 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. I have discovered this is the perfect place to pray. Closing my eyes keeps me from watching the timer and I can focus without falling asleep, as often happens when I try praying at night.
Awesome post and hilarious picture. :o) I used to be much more of a morning person that I am now. My college days and early marriage, I was up at 5am easy. With the Lyme, I've slid back. My devotions tend to be in the evening before bed.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice post. I thoroughly agree that waking up early completely changes your day. The peace that can be felt in the morning is so valuable.
Oh dear…I HATE waking up early. I love my warm, soft bed. *sigh*
Katie: I noticed a change in my life too.
Jill: You are spot on! You can't beat sandwiching the Lord into your day. He's better than crunchy Peanut Butter!
Dawn: Thanks for coming by! I love that you were named after the sunrise. I think it's beautiful. :)I agree, walking on the treadmill is a great time to pray and think. I can't do it while running though. I must focus on surviving! ha! I don't see praying in bed and falling asleep as failure, I see it as peace overcoming me as I talk to God…that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!
Sheri: How can you not wake up to all your roosters!? I'm playing of course. Always praying for you.
Maggie: I love early morning peace…and then my kids get up! ha!
Jessica: I just bought Jersey knit sheets. Oh man! They are fabulous! 🙂
What a well of encouraging blogs I'm reading this morning. I like it! 🙂 I agree first moments with God are deeply felt and precious. There's nothin' like it.
I am not a morning person, but God has been waking me up to see the sunrise for the last 2 wks. I get up and look out the window, say a prayer, then fall back to sleep. I feel He is calling to me, and your post has inspired me to make huge effort to spend more time with Him at dawn.
Great post!
I can relate to that picture. 🙂 I like reading the scriptures in the morning, though it's usually among the chaos of kids. But it's amazing how just that little time can be a real boost to my mood/day.
I knead dough. I'm not Amish. Sheesh. Ok. Who am I kidding? So NOT Amish – but I did knead dough once. And isn't it depressing when someone leaves a comment on a deeply spiritual blog post and all they seem to have gained from it was an extra dose of sarcasm? 😉
great post, btw 🙂
Lacie: I've noticed a ton of wonderful insightful blogs this morning too! Love it!
Loree: You won't regret it! But you know this. 😉 Welcome to a dawning of a new day…hee hee…okay maybe that was funnier in my head.
Stacy: You're so cute, I bet you're adorable waking up!! 🙂 What's that saying?? A little dab'll do ya!
Jaime: We GOTTA hang out! I love your sarcasm, it drips across the page and I cheer! Okay so maybe the Amish aren't the only ones who knead dough, but I better nobody does it better! I BUY bread from the Amish, well not really the Amish, but the Menonites…that counts, right?
I've only just recently started getting up early for some quiet time. I always thought I could find time to squeeze it in, but have come to the realization that this is one way I can offer my "first fruits" to the Lord. It isn't easy though; I'm definitely a night owl!
BTW, stinkin' cute pic at the top!
It's weird. I used to be a morning person when I was a kid, but now I'm a night owl. However, I do make sure to read my Bible and pray before I start the day. No matter how late it is.
Your post inspired me to set the clock a few minutes earlier for tomorrow!
I've never been a morning person. Even when I push my body out of bed at the usual time, my mind doesn't begin functioning for another hour. I do have a devotional time with my morning orange juice, but my best time is in the late evening after everyone else has gone to bed. That's also my most productive writing time. At one time I thought if I went to bed earlier I could get up earlier, but my body just doesn't work that way. My brain still takes ages to kick in.
This is such a great post, and it just confirms what's really important – God – our relationship with Him, and putting Him first. DUO
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